Penn Relays Memorable For Salisbury Athletes

June 11, 1998|by ANDRE WILLIAMS, The Morning Call

Salisbury was one of 818 high schools that competed in the Penn Relay Carnival in Philadelphia in April.

But being just a number in the 104th running of the world popular Penn Relays was never a problem for Salisbury's girls' 400-meter relay team that had been assembled by Head Coach Ron Dalla Piazza for the school's biggest ever track and field competition.

After riding in a van from Allentown to Lansdale, and then catching a train to 33rd Street Station in Philadelphia, then walking over to the University of Pennsylvania's campus, the Salisbury athletes were crushed to learn event organizers did not have the entry passes Dalla Piazza was to pick up in the lobby of the Palestra.

Actually, the problem had started earlier. Penn Relay officials initially mailed the wrong event passes to Salisbury. Dalla Piazza contacted the officials vis e-mailing. At that time, he was told to just show up at the Palestra to pick up the passes.

Dalla Piazza was in line at 10:15 a.m. He was still there at 11:05, and Heat 19 of the high school girls' relay was scheduled to start at 11:15.

"The girls were in tears, saying, `We can't get in,' " recalled Dalla Piazza. "Then one of the guys said they were letting people in at the gate, and we went to the gate and said the girls were running in 5 minutes.

" `Can we get in?' I asked him, and he said, `Just go.' It went from a real low to a real high."

That's because the foursome of Kellie Krause, Vanessa Charles, Alisa Burkholder and Amy Berger were just minutes away from having their dream come true.

Their fast-lane experience lasted 54.28 seconds, the time it took them to complete the 400 relay, placing third.

Had they not been able to compete, Charles, a junior, said, "We would have gone home crying."

Now, the Falcons know how good they can be, and they also know how to spot out a television camera. Following their race, a Philadelphia television reporter approached them, and asked the girls to describe their Penn Relay experience. That interview aired later the same evening on WCAU-TV 10.

"I'm still so pumped up from this," Dalla Piazza said several days later "I still can't explain it. We are so sky high from being there, even though our times weren't great." He added that the experience helped the girls maintain their composure at later league and district competition.

Dalla Piazza says that as a result of this experience, both the Salisbury boys and girls' teams will compete in the Penn Relays in the future.

The boys' relay foursome of Tim Pelc, Mike Burgoyne, Eric Karol, and Chris Burda ran in a 400 relay heat, posting a less-than-satisfying 47.05 to place fourth in the heat.

In Philly, the Salisbury athlete hung together, eating, competing, laughing, and enjoying the atmosphere. It was a first-time experience that Dalla Piazza believes could help the program reach another level.

"We had all but one girl back from last year, and we only lost two boys from last year," Dalla Piazza said. "Last year we talked about it, so the girls really wanted to do it, and the boys wanted to do it, so we did it, and it was the greatest thing in the world."